


The secret life of Peter Parker

by lehnsherry



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, M/M, POV Outsider, Secret Relationship, a little bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:00:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24352501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lehnsherry/pseuds/lehnsherry
Summary: Because he's Ned, he can’t keep himself from bringing it up.“When are you going to tell me you're secretly a supervillain?” he deadpans as he sets his tray next to Peter’s in the cafeteria.Peter gracefully chokes on his water a little. "Huh?""You have a secret of some kind", says Ned, "and I'm gonna find out what it is."A fine blush creeps onto Peter's cheeks. "Ah, fuck, I really am that obvious, huh?"Ned just looks at him, an eyebrow raised.
Relationships: Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker/Wade Wilson
Comments: 40
Kudos: 436





	The secret life of Peter Parker

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CrescentScar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrescentScar/gifts).



> Happy birthday, CrescentScar! <3<3

Ned isn’t used to Peter keeping secrets from him.

They’ve known each other for so long it might as well be forever. They became fast friends years ago, and never really stopped telling each other everything, even as they got older. Peter knows all about Ned’s parents’ divorce, his awkward crushes on classmates, his dreams and hopes, and Ned knows all the same stuff about Peter. He’s heard everything about May, every fight and every worry, and he’s had his ear talked off about Tony Stark and other Avengers, and about Liz, and then about MJ and a few others.

The only thing Ned thought Peter had ever seriously tried to keep from him was the Spider-Man thing, and even that he'd fucked up pretty seriously. The way Peter kept changing into his suit in broad daylight, it was really only a question of time until Ned found out.

After he did, it was like a dam breaking, and out came all the secrets Peter had been dying to tell someone. Everything he'd done as Spider-Man, the fight between the Avengers, all the insecurities he had about whether he could do as much as he wanted to. He has a bit of a hero complex, and in addition to being his Guy in the Chair, Ned ended up being his moral support too, always ready to listen to him and cheer him on.

And it feels good to be somebody Peter can trust, one hundred per cent, no questions asked. Ned’s made that clear to him: he might not have what it takes to be a superhero, but he’s equipped to be a pretty damn good best friend.

-

Thanos and the Snap change almost everything. To Peter and Ned, it’s like no time’s passed at all, but when they come back, it becomes obvious that the world has well and truly moved on without them.

Ned appears in a different-looking home, finding out that his mom has a new boyfriend. He’s pretty glad that at least they don’t have a baby on the way just yet, or he’d seriously feel replaced. It’s difficult enough to adjust to all of the changes; school is just flat out bizarre. Half of their classmates are people who were in middle school just a moment ago. Half of the people they used to see every day are no longer there because they’re in _college_ now.

It all knits Ned and Peter even tighter together; it’s good to have someone by your side who’s been through the same weird shit that you have.

Peter takes it all worse than Ned, which is understandable. Ned feels horrible remembering how Peter always used to gush about Black Widow, how he admired her and how their shared spider thing was a bit of a running joke. He feels even worse when Peter goes back to doing his Stark internship stuff on the weekends, just like before, only now he doesn’t grin about it all the time like a lunatic; now he goes in with a grim, determined look, prepared to do his damned best, not because there’s a possibility of impressing a father-figure, but because he desperately clings to things that remind him of that, of Stark.

It warms Ned’s heart that even in his grief, Peter feels like he can come to Ned. There's nothing Ned can really do to help, but he tries his best to be there.

Most times it seems to be enough. They have a lot of manly talks about feelings and trauma and all that stuff, and they have movie nights curled up together on Peter's bed, and it's great. They’ve got this running competition of trying to find the worst movies possible, and Ned’s winning by a small margin.

They only have to have the no homo convo once. Peter’s got his head under Ned’s chin and Ned’s running his fingers through Peter’s ridiculously soft hair.

“This is okay, right?” he asks, only a tiny little bit belatedly. They’ve been like this for half an hour already.

“Yeah”, Peter hums and stuffs his mouth full of popcorn. “Why?” he mumbles through it.

“No reason, just, I don’t think most guys appreciate friendly petting like this.”

“I’m not most guys, though”, Peter laughs. They go back to watching Highlander 2: The Quickening - just as blissfully awful as it sounds - and that’s that.

-

When a few weeks later Peter tells him that actually, yes homo, at least a bit, since he's been doing some thinking and he’s pretty sure he's actually bi, Ned just nods and thanks Peter for telling him. He pulls the little guy into a hug, to show that no matter what, he's here.

"I'm not gonna pretend I knew, of something stupid like that", he says gently into Peter's hair. He didn’t, though looking back, maybe there were signs he would’ve noticed if he’d looked for them, but it’s fine. He’s not hurt that Peter didn’t tell him earlier either. It’s not his _right_ to learn these things about him, it’s a privilege.

"Long as I still get to be the first to know all about your crushes, I honestly don't give a fuck about their gender”, Ned tells Peter, who laughs, a little sniffly, but happy.

-

Peter spends most weekends away, either doing work for his internship, training, or assisting other Avengers on missions. He facetimes Ned a lot, both to yell enthusiastically about everything and to complain about the boring aspects of his work, and Ned has to admit he enjoys these little windows into the superhero life.

Technically Peter shouldn't tell him anything, it's all supposed to be classified, but if they really didn’t want Peter to leak things, they wouldn’t tell him. Sometimes the things he faces are just too much to bear alone, and sometimes they’re just too hilarious to not be shared. Ned knows a lot more than he ever expected to about the Avengers’ relentless prank wars and strange personal habits. If he was braver and had a death wish, he could write an awesome book about it all.

-

Eventually, Ned hears about Harley. Peter gets to know him better because he also has a job at SI, and some of the Avengers have basically adopted him similarly as to how they’ve adopted Peter.

Ms. Potts makes them both Morgan's honorary godfathers, and there are a lot of pictures and videos with the three of them. You could almost mistake them for actual siblings, seeing them in all the snaps Ned gets from Peter: There are pictures of them on picnics, and watching movies, Harley flicking popcorn in the air and Peter and Morgan catching it in their mouths, laughing. There’s a video of them asking Morgan who her favourite Avenger is, and Peter getting a little teary-eyed when she says it's Spider-Man, because he's the coolest.

-

Throughout their remaining years of high school, Ned and Peter continue to tell each other basically everything. They make new friends, Ned briefly dates a senior girl, Peter briefly dates Harley, then resolves to never try anything with anyone who's as close to a brother to him as Harley is, then briefly dates MJ, and then resolves to never, ever again try anything with anyone as close to a sister as she is.

All in all, it's a pretty standard high school experience. They're doing well for a couple of kids thrown into a world they didn't exist in for five years and which kept on living without them.

-

The point is, they experience it all together, so when in their senior year, Peter starts keeping secrets, Ned notices it pretty damn fast.

It's nothing big at first, just that he seems lost in thought more than usual, sometimes worried and unsure, other times grinning like a complete idiot.

Then he starts doing a lot more patrolling than he used to, going out almost every night. You’d expect that to tire him out, but it seems to do the exact opposite. Peter’s so cheery and bouncy it's like he's walking on clouds.

The obvious explanation for disappearing on those “patrols” and coming to school all chipper and bubbly the next day, would be that he's got a secret girlfriend or boyfriend somewhere, but why wouldn't Peter talk about that? Ned feels a little hurt, and wonders if he should be worried, but mostly he's just intrigued.

-

Because he's Ned, he can’t keep himself from bringing it up.

“When are you going to tell me you're secretly a supervillain?” he deadpans as he sets his tray next to Peter’s in the cafeteria.

Peter gracefully chokes on his water a little. "Huh?"

"You have a secret of some kind", says Ned, "and I'm gonna find out what it is."

A fine blush creeps onto Peter's cheeks. "Ah, fuck, I really am that obvious, huh?"

Ned just looks at him, an eyebrow raised. This is the secret superhero who almost never wears his mask and introduces himself to people by his full name.

Peter sees the look and seems to get Ned’s point without him even having to say anything. Sometimes it feels like they have a telepathic bond. Maybe that's Ned's superpower?

Peter chuckles awkwardly and nudges Ned’s knee under the table.

"I promise I'll tell you eventually, when I'm ready. You'll be the first to know, how's that sound?"

Normally Ned would pester him relentlessly, but something about him looks a little fragile today, so Ned just nods.

"It's nothing bad", Peter continues, "I'm just. Not ready to let anyone in on it just yet."

When he puts it like that, looking at Ned with those earnest puppydog eyes, it's impossible to feel hurt about being left out.

"It's okay", he promises and reaches over to ruffle Peter's hair. It's floppy and soft, like puppy ears. It smells like he's stolen May's conditioner again. Ned loves this guy.

"I'm gonna try to guess anyway, you realize that right?"

Peter laughs. "Bring it on, Leeds."

-

"You're training an army of smaller Spider-Men and plotting to take over the world", Ned says when they're in the library the next day.

Peter chortles, reaching for a book.

"Yeah, sure. You've uncovered my great secret. A legion of Spider-Boys."

"Jesus, that sounds like a disturbed 300 knockoff."

Peter laughs harder, and Ned drops the subject, for now.

-

"You're dating Captain America", Ned whispers during a lesson the next week. Peter has to cover his mouth with his hand to keep himself from laughing.

"Which one?" 

"Cap senior, obviously."

"Oh yeah, you got me”, Peter deadpans. “We go on long walks in the park, him with a rollator and me with a big, patriotic fanboy crush."

"I don't know, all the motivational speeches could have done something to your brain..."

"I'd be honoured, I love Steve, but no."

"Wilson then?" Ned whispers a while later, and Peter makes a strange coughing sound, blushing.

"You're pulling my leg, The Falcon is way out of your league."

“True”, Peter sighs like the thought pains him, elbowing Ned sharply to shut him up. It only makes him let out a small yelp, earning them a warning glance from the teacher. There's a weird look on Peter's face though, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth like he's privately laughing at some inappropriate joke.

-

"You're planning to kidnap Morgan and elope to Europe with Harley and her", Ned gasps when Peter hangs up after a call with Harley.

Peter's phone jingles and he huffs, turning it so Ned can see a photo Harley's apparently just sent him: there's Morgan, on Ms. Potts' shoulders, both of them laughing and looking so cute Ned feels a little like cooing and also possibly like crying.

"I'd have to kidnap Pepper too. How well do you think that would go?" 

Ned shivers. Ms. Potts can apparently be adorable, but she's a scary woman.

-

Ned cooks up story after story, each one crazier than the last, but none of them hit the mark.

Their senior spring is nearing its end, and neither of them is really ready to leave. They both have plans in the city, so they won't be far from each other, but the thought of no longer sharing the same homeroom is still scary.

They're practically living in each other's pockets, helping each other study and just spending time together, as much as they can. May laughs at them, saying you can’t stock up on closeness for later like they seem to be trying to do, but Ned doesn't mind. They can always try.

One Saturday evening Ned goes over to Peter's for a standard hang-out, but he's a little early. He thinks maybe Peter said something about patrolling today, and sure enough, he's not home yet when Ned knocks on the door.

They have a half-finished plan to suffer through finishing their college applications this weekend and then watching movies until they pass out on top of each other, but apparently that'll have to wait a little.

Ned talks to May for a bit and then goes into Peter's room to wait. He remembers Peter bitching about his patrols, that secretive little smile playing at his lips anyway, and comes up with the next insane scenario. Maybe Peter's dating a villain, and they have weekly fights-slash-date nights? That would explain the secrecy.

Grinning to himself, Ned settles into a beanbag in the corner, pulling out his laptop. He plans to get a good chunk of editing done on his application today, and he might as well start without Peter.

He's got a line of sight to the window, the sliding door and the balcony beyond them, but he's mostly hidden behind a dresser, which is why he gets to finally find out Peter's secret almost the same way he found out about his superhero gig years ago.

He only gets through a few pages before he spots Peter climbing onto the balcony. Peter's pulling off his mask and reaching to open the door, and Ned almost calls out to him but stops at the last second, because Peter isn't alone.

He's with _Deadpool,_ who says something to him in a low voice that makes Peter laugh and half turn back towards Deadpool, leaving the door open. Ned can see Peter's widely smiling profile as Deadpool steps closer to him.

They seem to be on friendly terms. Ned's not sure why this shocks him; Deadpool is an infamous mercenary-turned-part-time-X-man, it probably figures Peter would've had a few run-ins with him at some point. They’ve probably even worked together. It's just weird that Peter's never mentioned him.

It's weird, until suddenly it isn't, because Peter leans in close and pulls Deadpool's mask up far enough to kiss him.

Not that that isn't weird, because it is, it’s incredibly weird. Deadpool's skin looks uneven, burnt almost, but Peter doesn't seem to care. He's smiling against Deadpool's lips, and the smile turns into laughter as Deadpool hefts him up and spins them around. They look like they’ve done this a thousand times.

It's also pretty sweet. Childish and happy and still _so weird_ , because this is a terrifying merc holding Ned's best friend gently like a bride and peppering his nose and cheek with butterfly kisses. Ned wonders if maybe he's dreaming.

Distantly, he knows he should be worried about a million things, the age difference for example, but it feels a little arbitrary in the face of their obvious happiness and comfort in each other. They don’t look unbalanced at all. Peter’s maybe a little shorter and skinnier, but to Ned it looks like he could hold his own in a scuffle, not to mention the way Deadpool holds him like something precious.

On the balcony, Deadpool sets Peter down but his hands settle low on Peter's hips and the two of them sway together slowly. They seem to be in their own little bubble, oblivious to anything happening around them, and Ned pales a little, his mind filling with horrible scenarios. What if they want to stumble into bed. Ned would either have to make his presence known, which would be mortifying, or scramble to hide in Peter's closet and probably be scarred for life.

Luckily his horror only lasts for a moment and he doesn't have to do either of those things. Peter and Deadpool bid their goodbyes slowly and really rather cutely. There are bizarre inside jokes and a consensus that tomorrow is taco day, and then Deadpool steals one last kiss and swings himself over the balcony railing.

Peter watches him go for a moment, and then comes inside, still wearing a goofy, smitten little smile. He stops dead after two steps, his deer-in-the-headlights gaze meeting Ned’s. Ned gives a little wave, a shiteating grin growing on his face, and Peter flushes scarlet. He groans, hiding his face in his hands.

“Guess you saw all that?” he mumbles.

“Yep.”

Peter peeks at Ned through his fingers, nervous, and Ned does his best to smile reassuringly.

“Can’t say I expected the skeletons in your closet to look like him, but you two seem... good, together.”

Peter smiles at him, still awkward but relieved, too. He collapses on his bed and pats the space beside him. Ned lies down next to him and reaches over to ruffle Peter’s hair. Peter butts his head into the hand, and yeah, they’re okay.

"Want to hear the whole story?" Peter asks, and Ned smiles wider. Hell yeah, he wants to hear it all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! A comment would make my day! <3


End file.
